This invention relates to floor polishing and in particular to a device for polishing of floors using a conventional high speed orbital hand polisher.
Polishing of floors is a difficult and tedious job made even more troublesome by the weight of equipment. Floor polishers are typically formed from a one piece structure having an integrated handle such as that disclosed in U.S. Design Pat. No. 296,250. These commercial grade devices are heavy making there use limited to periodic application and are expensive in light of there limited production. Most such devices are useful only in institutions and industry.
Commercial and industrial polishers generally employ a polishing wheel upon which a motor is mounted. The motor weighs down the polishing wheel to enhance operation. The motor/polishing wheel combination produce a large torque which can be difficult to control. Even if the operator of the assembly is large, over a period of time the control of the assembly can prove most tiring.
Floor polishing services are not limited to the maintenance of a single floor and the need for moving floor polishing equipment is recognized. However, due to the weight of the units, the floor polishers do not take full advantage of the devices and typically regulate floor polishing duties as a once a month chore.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,797,157 discloses a battery powered floor buffer having a polisher located at one end of support and a battery operated motor located at the other end. This device is intended for use in the home as an alternative to the heavy industrial polishers.
Conventional floor buffing equipment utilize flat, circular buffing pads. When powered by an electric motor, the pads are rotated at a speed usually between 175 and 1000 rpm, although some operate at speeds as high as 2000 rpm. In order to obtain a superior finish on a waxed floor, it is necessary to generate enough friction and heat to actually melt the top layer of wax on the floor. Relatively low speed vertical axis machines typically mount the motor centrally on the floor treating element. The element is then evenly pressed onto the floor surface by the weight of the machine. The machine is moved in a sweeping arc by application of pressure on the control handle. Low speed machines typically operate in the 300 to 400 rpm range. An example of one such floor treating machine may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,264,674 entitle Floor Treating Machines. High speed machines, typically operating at about 1000 rpm, typically include a pair of ground engaging wheels to prevent the engine torque from moving the machine. Examples of high speed vertical axis machine may be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,253,384; 4,358,868; 4,115,890 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,122,576.
Light weight floor polishers are known in the art with patents dating back to the turn of the century. U.S. Pat. No. 981,032 issued in 1911 sets forth a lightweight floor scrubbing device. U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,847,323; 2,561,279 and 3,074,089 all depict lightweight floor brushes. However, none of these are high speed or utilize self-contained detachable handles. U.S. Pat. No. 6,353,957 issued 2002 depicts the state of the art floor polisher and exemplifies how complex the polishers have become making them unwieldy for transport and cost prohibitive for the average consumer.
Orbital polishers are used for hand polishing of an automobile surface. The higher polishing speeds, approximately 4000 rpm, is used to prevent swirl marks on delicate laquer paint jobs but fail to clean the grit typically found on floors. The hand polishers are designed to be light in weight so that burning of the surfaces does not occur. However, such polishers are not readily used to treat floors for the polishing of floors as current practices to maintain polishers of a slow speed and heavy body for use in those instances that are commonly soiled and thus require polishing for refurbishing.
What is lacking in the art is an inexpensive light weight floor polisher that is capable of operating at a high rotation speed to eliminate motor torque.
Disclosed is a device that allows for high speed floor polishing. The device is a conventional hand polisher that is adapted for use on floors through the coupling of a handle to the hand polisher. The handle includes an area for holding weight for those instances where increased polisher head pressure is required. Alternatively the area operates as a storage area for polishing compounds.
The polisher employed is that of a commercially available 12xe2x80x3 or larger hand polisher operating at 4000 rpm. The use of the high speed polisher eliminates the torque twist found in conventional floor polishers by use of a speed that prevents frictional engagement with the floor. Operator fatigue is eliminated by removal of the torque. The use of the commonly available hand polishers are beneficial in that they are light in weight and affordable due to mass production.
Thus, an objective of the instant invention is to take advantage of a mass produced hand polisher for use as a floor polisher by attaching a handle and providing a composition that operates at the higher rotation speeds.
Still another objective of the instant invention is to disclose the use of a floor polisher whose weight can be adjusted to meet the type of floor ss to prevent marring of the surface or burning of the applied polishing material.
Still another objective of the instant invention is to disclose a polishing compound for use with high speed lightweight orbital polishers for routine polishing of floor surfaces.
Still another objective of the instant invention is to disclose a high speed floor polisher that is highly maneuverable in view of its weight allowing polishing on a daily basis so as to eliminate the need for low speed heavy polishers typically used on a monthly or yearly basis.
Other objectives and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein are set forth, by way of illustration and example, certain embodiments of this invention. The drawings constitute a part of this specification and include exemplary embodiments of the present invention and illustrate various objects and features thereof.